Smoke Detector (Credit: Jenn Durfey/Flickr/File Photo)
“Change you clocks, change your batteries” has become part of the American lexicon. And it’s worth repeating, Toms River fire officials said this week.
Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 12. That means you need to set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed Saturday night.
The Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention is reminding residents that while you change your clocks, you also need to change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
“Replacing the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms when you adjust your clocks twice a year is an easy way to ensure that your family is protected,” said Bob Yaiser, Public Education Officer for the Bureau of Fire Prevention.
According to the National Fire Protection Agency, 71 percent of smoke alarms which failed to operate had missing, disconnected or dead batteries, the bureau said in a statement.
“Every year in New Jersey there are fire fatalities in homes that did not have smoke alarms or where the alarms did not function because of dead batteries,” Yaiser said. “If you do not have a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide detector, you need to get one. You also need to test both devices monthly to make sure they are in working order.”
For more information about fire safety, contact the Toms River Bureau of Fire Prevention at (732) 240-5153 or online at www.trfireprevention.com.
